Mamba The beginning - how Kobe Bryant entered the NBA with a bang

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Few dates in the world of sports have been more difficult to accept than January 26, 2020. Few athletes have shed more tears than the loss of the great Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna in a helicopter crash in California. The reason for the many tears is that the Black Mamba (a.k.a. a nickname he likes very much himself) made millions fall in love with basketball. The first guard in history with 20 seasons played. All for the Los Angeles Lakers. Two NBA Finals MVP awards, 18 All-Star appearances, 2 league MVP awards and millions more accolades. But like any great story, Kobe's might have been different if he didn't have the beginning.

Bryant has been attracting attention since high school. Lower Merion enjoys one of the most talented kids in the history of basketball, who later passes the mark of 33,000 points scored in the NBA. As a student, Kobe is so good that he skips one of the most important steps in American basketball - college. Bryant joined the ranks of the top men at the tender age of 18. He was officially drafted in the 1996 NBA draft by the Charlotte Hornets. But that's just the theory. In fact, the Lakers have rights over this pick well ahead of time and are handpicking their future legend.

His unofficial debut came in the Summer League, when Kobe scored an impressive 25 points for a teenager. In the final of the competition, Bryant played even stronger with a final asset of 36 points and incredible averages for a total of 4 meetings. This gives the Los Angeles Lakers even greater hope for the future.

As a rookie in the 1996/97 season, the youngster had to be a backup guard in competition with Eddie Jones and Nick van Exel. His debut in the league set the then-record for the second-youngest basketball player in NBA history (18 years and 72 days), and later became the youngest starter (18 years and 158 days.)

Despite these impressive achievements, Kobe's debut in the NBA was decidedly unsuccessful. The guard entered the game on November 3, 1996 in the victory of the "Ezerniaks" with 91:85 points. It's also one of Bryant's 11 games in his rookie season without a single point. He later became the 4th leading scorer in NBA history. And proof that a rough start doesn't mean failure. Not for the great Kobe Bryant!

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